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FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 




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FOUR WEEKS IN THE 
TRENCHES 

THE WAR STORY OF A VIOUNIST 

BT 

FRITZ KREISLER 

With Illustrations 




\ 

BOSTON AND NEW YORK 

HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY 

1915 



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COPYRIGHT, 1915, BY FRITZ KREISLER 
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 

Published April iq/j 



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APR 19 1915 



CI,A;{9K421 



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TO MY DEAR WIFE 
HARRIET 

THE BEST FRIEND 

AND STANCHEST COMRADE IN ALL 

CIRCUMSTANCES OF LIFE 

I DEDICATE THIS LITTLE BOOK 

IN HUMBLE TOKEN 

OF EVERLASTING GRATITUDE 

AND DEVOTION 



PREFACE 

This brief record of the fighting on the 
Eastern front in the great war is the out- 
come of a fortunate meeting. 

The writer chanced to be dining with 
Mr. Kreisler soon after his arrival in this 
country, after his dismissal from the 
hospital where he recovered from his 
wound. For nearly two hours he list- 
ened, thrilled and moved, to the great 
violinist's modest, vivid narrative of his 
experiences and adventures. It seemed 
in the highest degree desirable that the 
American pubHc should have an oppor- 
tunity of reading this narrative from the 
pen of one in whose art so many of us 
take a profound interest. It also was 
apparent that since so httle of an au- 
thentic nature had been heard from the 
Russo-Austrian field of warfare, this 



PREFACE 

story would prove an important contri- 
bution to the contemporary history of 
the war. 

After much persuasion, Mr. Kreisler 
reluctantly acceded to the suggestion 
that he write out his personal memories 
of the war for pubUcation. He has com- 
pleted his narrative in the midst of grave 
difficulties, writing it piecemeal in hotels 
and railway trains in the course of a con- 
cert tour through the country. It is 
offered by the publishers to the public 
with confidence that it will be found one 
of the most absorbing and informing 
narratives of the war that has yet ap- 
peared. 

F. G. 



ILLUSTRATIONS 

Fritz Kreisler Frontispiece 

Fritz Kreisler as an Officer of the Austrian 
Reserve and his Wife as Nurse .... 6 

Group of Officers and their Wives taken at 
Leoben before Departure for the Front la 

Concert given at Leoben in aid of Red Gross 
before Departure for Front 28 

Officers, Surgeon, and Non-commissioned Of- 
ficers of Kreisler's Gompany 4o 

Kreisler*s Battalion taking Oath at Leoben 54 

Kreisler at the Front, taken after Three 
Weeks* Service 66 

Fritz Kreisler 82 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE 
TRENCHES 

I 

In trying to recall my impressions dur- 
ing my short war duty as an officer in the 
Austrian Army, I find that my recollec- 
tions of this period are very uneven and 
confused. Some of the experiences stand 
out with absolute clearness; others, how- 
ever, are blurred. Two or three events 
which took place in different locaHties 
seem merged into one, while in other 
instances recollection of the chronologi- 
cal order of things is missing. This curi- 
ous indifference of the memory to values 
of time and space may be due to the 
extraordinary physical and mental stress 
under which the impressions I am trying 
to chronicle were received. The same 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

state of mind I find is rather charac- 
teristic of most people I have met who 
were in the war. It should not be forgot- 
ten, too, that the gigantic upheaval 
which changed the fundamental condi- 
tion of life overnight and threatened 
the very existence of nations naturally 
dwarfed the individual into nothingness, 
and the existing interest in the common 
welfare left practically no room for per- 
sonal considerations. Then again, at the 
front, the extreme uncertainty of the 
morrow tended to lessen the interest in 
the details of to-day; consequently I 
may have missed a great many interest- 
ing happenings alongside of me which I 
would have wanted to note under other 
circumstances. One gets into a strange 
psychological, almost hypnotic, state of 
mind while on the firing line which prob- 
ably prevents the mind's eye from ob- 
serving and noticing things in a normal 
way. This accounts, perhaps, for some 

2 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

blank spaces in my memory. Besides, 
I went out completely resigned to my 
fate, without much thought for the fu- 
ture. It never occurred to me that I 
might ever want to write my experi- 
ences, and consequently I failed to take 
notes or to establish certain mnemo- 
technical landmarks by the aid of which 
I might now be able to reconstruct all 
details. I am, therefore, reduced to pre- 
sent an incoherent and rather piecemeal 
narrative of such episodes as forcibly 
impressed themselves upon my mind 
and left an ineradicable mark upon my 
memory. 

The outbreak of the war found my 
wife and me in Switzerland, where we 
were taking a cure. On the 31st of July, 
on opening the paper, I read that the 
Third Army Corps, to which my regiment 
(which is stationed in Graz) belonged, 
had received an order for mobilization. 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

Although I had resigned my commission 
as an officer two years before, I immedi- 
ately left Switzerland, accompanied by 
my wife, in order to report for duty. 
As it happened, a wire reached me a day 
later calling me to the colors. 

We went by way of Munich. It was the 
first day of the declaration of the state 
of war in Germany. Intense excitement 
prevailed. In Munich all traffic was 
stopped; no trains were running except 
for military purposes. It was only due 
to the fact that I revealed my intention 
of rejoining my regiment in Austria that 
I was able to pass through at all, but 
by both the civil and military authori- 
ties in Bavaria I was shown the great- 
est posssible consideration and passed 
through as soon as possible. 

We reached Vienna on August first. 
A startHng change had come over the 
city since I had left it only a few weeks 
before. Feverish activity everywhere 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

prevailed. Reservists streamed in by 
thousands from all parts of the country 
to report at headquarters. Autos filled 
with officers whizzed past. Dense crowds 
surged up and down the streets. Bulle- 
tins and extra editions of newspapers 
passed from hand to hand. Immediately 
it was evident what a great leveler war 
is. Differences in rank and social dis- 
tinctions had practically ceased. All 
barriers seemed to have fallen; every- 
body addressed everybody else. 

I saw the crowds stop officers of high 
rank and well-known members of the 
aristocracy and clergy, also state officials 
and court functionaries of high rank, in 
quest of information, which was im- 
parted cheerfully and patiently. The 
imperial princes could frequently be 
seen on the Ring Strasse surrounded 
by cheering crowds or mingling with 
the public unceremoniously at the cafes, 
talking to' everybody. Of course, the 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

army was idolized. Wherever the troops 
marched the pubhc broke into cheers 
and every uniform was the center of an 
ovation. 

While coming from the station I saw 
two young reservists, to all appearances 
brothers, as they hurried to the bar- 
racks, carrying their small belongings in 
a valise. Along with them walked a 
little old lady crying, presumably their 
mother. They passed a general in full 
uniform. Up went their hands to their 
caps in military salute, whereupon the 
old general threw his arms wide open 
and embraced them both, saying: **Go 
on, my boys, do your duty bravely and 
stand firm for your emperor and your 
country. God willing, you will come 
back to your old mother." The old lady 
smiled through her tears. A shout went 
up, and the crowds surrounding the gen- 
eral cheered him. Long after I had left 
I could hear them shouting. 




FRITZ RREISLER AS AN OFFICER OF THE AUSTRLAN RESERVE 
AND HIS WIFE AS NURSE 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

A few streets farther on I saw in an 
open cafe a young couple, a reservist in 
field uniform and a young girl, his bride 
or sweetheart. They sat there, hands 
linked, utterly oblivious of their sur- 
roundings and of the world at large. 
When somebody in the crowd espied 
them, a great shout went up, the public 
rushing to the table and surrounding 
them, then breaking into applause and 
waving hats and handkerchiefs. At 
first the young couple seemed to be ut- 
terly taken aback and only slowly did 
they realize that the ovation was meant 
for them. They seemed confused, the 
young girl blushing and hiding her face 
in her hands, the young man rising to his 
feet, saluting and bowing. More cheers 
and applause. He opened his mouth as 
if wanting to speak. There was a sudden 
silence. He was vainly struggling for ex- 
pression, but then his face lit up as if by 
inspiration. Standing erect, hand at his 

7 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

cap, in a pose of military salute, he in- 
toned the Austrian national hymn. In 
a second every head in that throng was 
bared. All traffic suddenly stopped, 
everybody, passengers as well as con- 
ductors of the cars, joining in. the anthem. 
The neighboring windows soon filled 
with people, and soon it was a chorus of 
thousands of voices. The volume of tone 
and the intensity of feeling seemed to 
raise the inspiring anthem to the utter- 
most heights of sublime majesty. We 
were then on our way to the station, and 
long afterwards we could hear the sing- 
ing, swelling like a human organ. 

What impressed me particularly in 
Vienna was the strict order everywhere. 
No mob disturbances of any kind, in 
spite of the greatly increased liberty and 
relaxation of police regulations. Nor 
was there any runaway chauvinism 
noticeable, aside from the occasional 
singing of patriotic songs and demon- 

8 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

strations like the one I just described. 
The keynote of popular feeling was 
quiet dignity, joined to determination, 
with an undercurrent of solemn gravity 
and responsibility. 

I had stopped in Vienna only long 
enough to bid good-bye to my father, and 
left for the headquarters of my regiment 
in Graz. I reported there for duty and 
then went to join the Fourth Battalion, 
which was stationed at Leoben, one 
hour away from Graz, my orders being 
to take command of the first platoon in 
the sixteenth company. My platoon 
consisted of fifty-five men, two buglers, 
and an ambulance patrol of four. 

In Leoben my wife and I remained a 
week, which was spent in organizing, 
equipping, requisitioning, recruiting, and 
preliminary drilling. These were happy 
days, as we officers met for the first 
time, friendships and bonds being sealed 
which subsequently were tested in com- 

9 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

mon danger and amidst privation and 
stress. Many of the officers had brought 
their wives and soon dehghtful inter- 
course, utterly free from formaUty, de- 
veloped, without any regard or refer- 
ence to rank, wealth, or station in private 
life. Among the reserve officers of my 
battalion were a famous sculptor, a well- 
known philologist, two university pro- 
fessors (one of mathematics, the other of 
natural science) , a prince, and a civil en- 
gineer at the head of one of the largest 
Austrian steel corporations. The sur- 
geon of our battalion was the head of a 
great medical institution and a man of 
international fame. Among my men in 
the platoon were a painter, two college 
professors, a singer of repute, a banker, 
and a post official of high rank. But no- 
body cared and in fact I myself did not 
know until much later what distin- 
guished men were in my platoon. A 
great cloak of brotherhood seemed to 

10 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

have enveloped everybody and every- 
thing, even differences in mihtary rank 
not being so obvious at this time, for the 
officers made friends of their men, and 
in turn were worshiped by them. 

My wife volunteered her services as 
Red Cross nurse, insisting upon being 
sent to the front, in order to be as near 
me as could be, but it developed later 
that no nurse was allowed to go farther 
than the large troop hospitals far in the 
rear of the actual operations. Upon my 
urgent appeal she desisted and remained 
in Vienna after I had left, nursing in the 
barracks, which are now used for hos- 
pital work. In fact, almost every third 
or fourth house, both private and pub- 
lic, as well as schools, were given to the 
use of the government and converted 
into Red Gross stations. 

The happy days in Leoben came to an 
abrupt end, my regiment receiving or- 
ders to start immediately for the front. 
11 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

We proceeded to Graz, where we joined 
the other three battaHons and were en- 
trained for an unknown destination. We 
traveled via Budapest to Galicia, and 
left the train at Strij, a very important 
railroad center south of Lemberg. It 
must be understood that the only reports 
reaching us from the fighting line at that 
time were to the effect that the Russians 
had been driven back from our border, 
and that the Austrian armies actually 
stood on the enemy's soil. Strij being 
hundreds of miles away from the Rus- 
sian frontier, we could not but surmise 
that we were going to be stationed there 
some time for the purpose of train- 
ing and maneuvering. This belief was 
strengthened by the fact that our regi- 
ment belonged to the Landsturm, or sec- 
ond line of reserves, originally intended 
for home service. We were, however, 
alarmed that very same night and 
marched out of Strij for a distance of 

12 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

about twenty miles, in conjunction with 
the entire Third Army Corps. After a 
short pause for the purpose of eating and 
feeding the horses, we marched another 
twenty-two miles. This first day's march 
constituted a very strong test of endur- 
ance in consequence of our comparative 
softness and lack of training, especially 
as, in addition to his heavy rifle, bayo- 
net, ammunition, and spade, each sol- 
dier was burdened with a knapsack con- 
taining emergency provisions in the 
form of tinned meats, coffee extract, 
sugar, salt, rice, and biscuits, together 
with various tin cooking and eating 
utensils; furthermore a second pair of 
shoes, extra blouse, changes of under- 
wear, etc. On top of this heavy pack a 
winter overcoat and part of a tent were 
strapped, the entire weight of the equip- 
ment being in the neighborhood of fifty 
pounds. 
The day wore on. Signs of fatigue 

13 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

soon manifested themselves more and 
more strongly, and slowly the men 
dropped out one by one, from sheer ex- 
haustion. No murmur of complaint, how- 
ever, would be heard. Most of those who 
fell out of line, after taking a breathing 
space for a few minutes, staggered on 
again. The few that remained behind 
joined the regiment later on when camp 
was established. We wondered then at 
the necessity of such a forced march, 
being unable to see a reason for it, un- 
less it was to put us in training. 

Night had fallen when we reached a 
small monastery in the midst of a forest, 
where the peaceful surroundings and the 
monastic life, entirely untouched by the 
war fever, seemed strange indeed. Camp 
was estabUshed, tents erected, fires were 
lighted, and coffee made. Soon a life of 
bustling activity sprang up in the wilder- 
ness, in the midst of the forest which only 
a few hours before had been deserted. 
u 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

It made a weird and impressive picture 
in the wonderful starlight night, these 
soldiers sitting around the camp fires 
softly singing in chorus; the fantastic 
outlines of the monastery half hidden in 
the woods; the dark figures of the monks 
moving silently back and forth amongst 
the shadows of the trees as they brought 
refreshments to the troops; the red glow 
of the camp fires illuminating the eager 
and enthusiastic faces of the young offi- 
cers grouped around the colonel; the 
snorting and stamping of the horses 
nearby; an occasional melodic outcry of 
1 sentinel out in the night; all these things 
merging into an unforgettable scene of 
great romanticism and beauty. That 
night I lay for a long while stretched near 
the smoldering ashes of the camp fire, 
with my cape as a blanket, in a state of 
lassitude and somnolence, my soul filled 
with exaltation and happiness over the 
beauty around me. 

15 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

The rest, however, was of very short 
duration, for at six o'clock in the morn- 
ing we were aroused, camp was broken 
up and soon afterwards we started on a 
forced march of twenty-two miles with- 
out a halt, during which we twice had 
to wade knee-deep through rivers. By 
midday most of the men were so ex- 
hausted that they could hardly crawl 
along. It was remarkable that the com- 
paratively weaker and more refined city- 
bred people who had done little physical 
work in their lives, most of them being 
professional men, withstood hardships 
better than the sturdy and, to all appear- 
ances, stronger peasants. The only ex- 
planation for it being perhaps that the 
city-bred people, in consequence of their 
better surroundings and by reason of 
their education, had more will power and 
nervous strength than the peasants. 

At half-past two we reached a clearing 
in the midst of a wood through which a 

16 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

river flowed. Here camp was again es- 
tablished and a half hour later all the 
hardships of the march were once more 
forgotten in the bustle of camp life. This 
time we had a full rest until the next 
morning at four o'clock, when suddenly 
orders for marching were given. After 
we had been under way for about three 
hours we heard far-away, repeated rum- 
bling which sounded like distant thunder. 
Not for a moment did we associate it 
with cannonading, being, as we supposed, 
hundreds of miles away from the nearest 
place where Russians could possibly be. 
Suddenly a mounted ordnance officer 
came rushing with a message to our co!.o- 
nel. We came to a halt and all officers 
were summoned to the colonel who, ad- 
dressing us in his usual quiet, almost 
businesslike way, said: *' Gentlemen, ac- 
cept my congratulations, I have good 
news for you, we may meet the enemy 
to-day and I sincerely hope to lead you 

17 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

to the fight before evening." We were 
thunderstruck at the sudden reahzation 
that the Russians had penetrated so 
deeply into GaUcia. The despondency 
which followed this startling revelation, 
however, was quickly replaced by the 
intense excitement of meeting the en- 
emy so soon. We hurried back to our 
companies, imparting the news to the 
men, who broke forth into shouts of en- 
thusiasm. All the fatigue so plainly 
noticeable only a few minutes before, 
suddenly vanished as if by magic, and 
every one seemed alert, springy, and full 
of spirit. We energetically resumed the 
march in the direction of the distant 
rumbling, which indicated that the artil- 
lery of our advance guard had engaged 
the enemy. My regiment then was part 
of the main body of a division. A second 
division advanced on the road parallel to 
ours, about a mile and a quarter to our left. 
Both columns belonged to the Third Army 

18 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

Corps and kept up constant communica- 
tion with each other through mounted 
dispatch bearers and motor cycles. 

The cannonading had meanwhile come 
perceptibly nearer, and in the midst of 
the dense forest we again came to a short 
halt. Orders were given to load rifles, and 
upon emerging from the woods we fell 
into open formation, the men marching 
abreast, the companies at a distance of 
three hundred yards, with the battalions 
at a distance of about a thousand yards. 
We were slowly entering the range of the 
Russian artillery. About a mile ahead 
we could see numbers of harmless looking 
round clouds, looking like ringlets of 
smoke from a huge cigar, indicating the 
places where shrapnel had exploded [in 
mid-air. Our men, not being familiar 
with the spectacle, took no notice of it, 
but we officers knew its significance, and 
I daresay many a heart beat as wildly as 
mine did. 

19 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

We marched on until the command 
was given for us to deploy, and soon 
afterwards the first shrapnel whizzed over 
our heads. It did no harm, nor did the 
second and third, but the fourth hit 
three men in the battalion in the rear of 
us. Our forward movement, however, 
was not interrupted, and we did not see 
or hear anything beyond two or three 
startled cries. The next shell burst right 
ahead of us, sending a shower of bullets 
and steel fragments around. A man 
about twenty yards to the right of my 
company, but not of my platoon, leaped 
into the air with an agonizing cry and fell 
in a heap, mortally wounded. As we were 
advancing very swiftly, I only saw it as 
in a dream, while running by. Then 
came in rapid succession four or five 
terrific explosions right over our heads, 
and I felt a sudden gust of cold wind 
strike my cheek as a big shell fragment 
came howling through the air, ploughing 

20 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

the ground viciously as it struck and 
sending a spray of sand around. 

We ran on perhaps a quarter of a mile, 
when from the rear came the sharp com- 
mand, "Down," and the next second we 
lay on the ground, panting and ex- 
hausted, my heart almost bursting with 
the exertion. Simultaneously the whiz- 
zing of a motor above our heads could 
be heard and we knew why the enemy's 
shrapnel had so suddenly found us. It 
was a Russian aeroplane which presum- 
ably had signaled our approach, together 
with the range, to the Russian gunners, 
and now was probably directing their 
fire and closely watching its effect, for a 
chain of hills was hiding us from the view 
of the enemy, who consequently had to 
fire indirectly. The air craft hovered 
above our heads, but we were forbidden 
to fire at it, the extremely difficult, al- 
most vertical aim promising little success, 
aside from the danger of our bullets fall- 

21 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

ing back among us. Our reserves in the 
rear had apparently sighted the air craft 
too, for soon we heard a volley of rifle 
fire from that direction and simultane- 
ously the aeroplane arose and disap- 
peared in the clouds. 

Just then our own artillery came thun- 
dering up, occupied a little hill in the 
rear and opened fire on the enemy. The 
moral effect of the thundering of one's 
own artillery is most extraordinary, and 
many of us thought that we had never 
heard any more welcome sound than the 
deep roaring and crashing that started 
in at our rear. It quickly helped to dis- 
perse the nervousness caused by the first 
entering into battle and to restore self 
control and confidence. Besides, by get- 
ting into action, our artillery was now 
focusing the attention and drawing the 
fire of the Russian guns, for most of the 
latter's shells whined harmlessly above 
us, being aimed at the batteries in our 

22 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

rear. Considerably relieved by this di- 
version, we resumed our forward move- 
ment after about fifteen minutes of fur- 
ther rest, our goal being the little chain 
of hills which our advance guard had 
previously occupied pending our arrival. 
Here we were ordered to take up posi- 
tions and dig trenches, any further ad- 
vance being out of the question, as the 
Russian artillery overlooked and com- 
manded the entire plain stretching in 
front of us. 

We started at once to dig our trenches, 
half of my platoon stepping forward 
abreast, the men being placed an arm's 
length apart. After laying their rifles 
down, barrels pointing to the enemy, a 
line was drawn behind the row of rifles 
and paraUel to it. Then each man would 
dig up the ground, starting from his part 
of the hne backwards, throwing forward 
the earth removed, until it formed a 
sort of breastwork. The second half of 

23 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

the platoon was meanwhile resting in 
the rear, rifle in hand and ready for ac- 
tion. After a half hour they took the 
place of the first division at work, and 
vice versa. Within an hour work on the 
trenches was so far advanced that they 
could be deepened while standing in 
them. Such an open trench affords suffi- 
cient shelter against rifle bullets strik- 
ing from the front and can be made in 
a measure shell proof by being covered 
with boards, if at hand, and with sod. 

In the western area of the theater of 
war, in France and Flanders, where whole 
armies were deadlocked, facing each 
other for weeks without shifting their 
position an inch, such trenches become 
an elaborate affair, with extensive under- 
ground working and wing connections of 
lines which almost constitute Httle fort- 
resses and afford a certain measure of 
comfort. But where we were in Galicia 
at the beginning of the war, with condi- 

24 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

tions utterly unsteady and positions 
shifting daily and hourly, only the most 
superficial trenches were used. In fact, 
we thought ourselves fortunate if we 
could requisition enough straw to cover 
the bottom. That afternoon we had 
about half finished our work when our 
friend the aeroplane appeared on the 
horizon again. This time we imme- 
diately opened fire. It disappeared, but 
apparently had seen enough, for very 
soon our position was shelled. By this 
time, however, shrapnel had almost 
ceased to be a source of concern to us and 
we scarcely paid any attention to it. 
Human nerves quickly get accustomed 
to the most unusual conditions and cir- 
cumstances and I noticed that quite a 
number of men actually fell asleep from 
sheer exhaustion in the trenches, in spite 
of the roaring of the cannon about us and 
the whizzing of shrapnel over our heads. 
I, too, soon got accustomed to the 

25 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

deadly missiles, — in fact, I had already 
started to make observations of their 
peculiarities. My ear, accustomed to 
differentiate sounds of all kinds, had 
some time ago, while we still advanced, 
noted a remarkable discrepancy in the 
peculiar whine produced by the differ- 
ent shells in their rapid flight through 
the air as they passed over our heads, 
some sounding shrill, with a rising ten- 
dency, and the others rather dull, with 
a falling cadence. A short observation 
revealed the fact that the passing of a 
dull- sounding shell was invariably pre- 
ceded by a flash from one of our own 
cannon in the rear on the hill, which con- 
clusively proved it to be an Austrian 
shell. It must be understood that as we 
were advancing between the positions 
of the Austrian and Russian artillery, 
both kinds of shells were passing over 
our heads. As we advanced the differ- 
ence between shrill and dull shell grew 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

less and less perceptible, until I could 
hardly tell them apart. Upon nearing 
the hill the difference increased again 
more and more until on the hill itself it 
was very marked. After our trench was 
finished I crawled to the top of the hill 
until I could make out the flash of the 
Russian guns on the opposite heights 
and by timing flash and actual passing of 
the shell, f ounc" to my astonishment that 
now the Russian missiles had become 
dull, while on the other hand, the shrill 
shell was invariably heralded by a flash 
from oneof our guns, now far in the rear. 
What had happened was this: Every 
shell describes in its course a parabolic 
line, with the first half of the curve being 
ascending and the second one descend- 
ing. Apparently in the first half of its 
curve, that is, its course while ascend- 
ing, the shell produced a dull whine ac- 
companied by a faUing cadence, which 
changes to a rising shrill as soon as the 

27 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

acme has been reached and the curve 
points downward again. The acme for 
both kinds of shells naturally was ex- 
actly the half distance between the Rus- 
sian and Austrian artillery and this was 
the point where I had noticed that the 
difference was the least marked. A few 
days later, in talking over my observa- 
tion with an artillery officer, I was told 
the fact was known that the shells 
sounded different going up than when 
coming down, but this knowledge was 
not used for practical purposes. When 
I told him that I could actually determine 
by the sound the exact place where a 
shell coming from the opposing batteries 
was reaching its acme, he thought that 
this would be of great value in a case 
where the position of the opposing bat- 
tery was hidden and thus could be lo- 
cated. He apparently spoke to his com- 
mander about me, for a few days later 
I was sent on a reconnoitering tour, with 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

the object of marking on the map the 
exact spot where I thought the hostile 
shells were reaching their acme, and it 
was later on reported to me that I had 
succeeded in giving to our batteries the 
almost exact range of the Russian guns. 
I have gone into this matter at some 
length, because it is the only instance 
where my musical ear was of value dur- 
ing my service. 

To return to my narrative, the losses 
which my battalion suffered that day 
seemed extraordinarily small when com- 
pared with the accuracy of the Russian 
artillery's aim and the number of mis- 
siles they fired. I counted seventy-four 
shrapnel that burst in a circle of half a 
mile around us in about two hours, and 
yet we had no more than about eighteen 
casualties. The most difficult part was 
to he still and motionless while death was 
being dealt all about us, and it was then 
and there that I had my first experience 

29 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

of seeing death next to me. A soldier of 
my platoon, while digging in the trench, 
suddenly leaned back, began to cough 
like an old man, a httle blood broke from 
his lips, and he crumpled together in a 
heap and lay quite still. I could not real- 
ize that this was the end, for his eyes 
were wide open and his face wore the 
stamp of complete serenity. Apparently 
he had not suffered at all. The man had 
been a favorite with all his fellows by rea- 
son of his good humor, and that he was 
now stretched out dead seemed unbehev- 
able. I saw a great many men die after- 
wards, some suffering horribly, but I 
do not recall any death that affected me 
quite so much as that of this first victim 
in my platoon. 



II 

The artillery duel died out with the 
coming of darkness and we settled down 
to rest, half of the men taking watch 
while the others slept. At five o'clock in 
the morning our regiment suddenly re- 
ceived the order to fall in, and, together 
with two other regiments, was drawn out 
of the fighting Hne. Our commanding 
general had received news that an iso- 
lated detachment on the extreme right 
wing of our army, about fifteen miles 
east of us, had been entirely surrounded 
by a strong Russian body, and we were 
ordered to relieve them. It must not be 
forgotten that our men had been under a 
most incredible strain for the last three 
days with barely any rest during the 
nights and not more than one meal a day. 
They had actually welcomed entering 

31 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

the firing line, as a relief from the fa- 
tigues of marching with their heavy bur- 
dens. It is curious how indifferent one 
becomes to danger if one's organism is 
worn down and brain and faculty of per- 
ception numbed by physical exertion. 
It was, therefore, with badly broken- 
down strength that we started on this 
rehef expedition, and it was good to see 
how unflinchingly the soldiers under- 
took their unexpected new task. All we 
had to say to our men was: "Boys, your 
brothers are needing you. They are cut 
off from all possible relief unless you 
bring it. Their lives are at stake, and 
as they are defending one of the most 
strategically important points — the 
right wing of our army — you can turn 
the tide of the whole battle in our favor; 
so go on." And on they went, staggering 
and stumbling, and at the end of a few 
hours almost crawling, but ever forward. 
Suddenly we came up with another 

32 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

regiment which had been called to the 
same task, and the colonel of the new 
regiment, being older in rank than our 
colonel, took command of the newly 
formed brigade of two regiments. My 
company happened to march at the head 
of the regiment and the new brigadier 
rode for some time alongside of me. I 
was deeply impressed by his firm mili- 
tary and yet unassuming bearing and 
his deep glowing enthusiasm for his army 
and his men. He told me with pride that 
two of his sons were serving in the army, 
too, one as an artillery officer and the 
other one as an officer with the sappers. 
We were then approaching the point 
where we could hear distinctly the fire of 
our own batteries and the answer from 
the Russians, and here and there a vol- 
ley of rifle fire. Our colonel urged us on 
to renewed energy, and knowledge that 
we were nearing our goal seemedto give 
new strength to our men. Already we 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

were witnessing evidences of the first 
fight that had passed here, for wounded 
men constantly passed us on stretchers. 
Suddenly I saw the face of the colonel 
riding next to me, light up with ex- 
citement as a wounded man was borne 
past. He addressed a few words to the 
stretcher-bearers and then turned to me, 
saying: "The regiment of my son is 
fighting on the hill. It is one of their men 
they have brought by." He urged us on 
again, and it seemed to me as if I no- 
ticed — or was it my imagination — a 
new note of appeal in his face. Suddenly 
another stretcher was brought past. The 
colonel at my side jumped from his horse, 
crying out, "My boy," and a feeble 
voice answered, "Father." We all 
stopped as if a command had been given, 
to look at the young officer who lay on 
the stretcher, his eyes all aglow with en- 
thusiasm and joy, unmindful of his own 
wound as he cried out, "Father, how 

34 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

splendid that the reUef should just come 
from you! Goon. We held out splendidly. 
All we need is ammunition and a little 
moral support. Go on, don't stop for 
me, I am all right." The old colonel 
stood Uke a statue of bronze. His face 
had become suddenly ashen gray. He 
looked at the doctor and tried to catch 
his expression. The doctor seemed 
grave. But the young man urged us on, 
saying, "Go on, go on, I'll be all right 
to-morrow." The whole incident had 
not lasted more than five minutes, barely 
longer than it takes to write it. The 
colonel mounted his horse, sternly com- 
manding us to march forward, but the 
light had died out of his eyes. 

Within the next ten minutes a hail of 
shrapnel was greeting us, but hardly any 
one of us was conscious of it, so terribly 
and deeply were we affected by the scene 
of tragedy that had just been enacted 
before us. I remember foolishly mum- 

35 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

bling something to the silent man riding 
next to me, something about the power 
of recuperation of youth, about the com- 
parative harmlessness of the pointed, 
steelmantled rifle bullets which on ac- 
count of their terrific percussion make 
small clean w^ounds and rarely cause 
splintering of the bone or blood poison- 
ing. I remember saying that I had quite 
a medical knowledge and that it seemed 
to me that his son was not mortally 
wounded. But he knew better. He 
never said a word, only, a few minutes 
later, **He was my only hope"; and I 
can't express how ominous that word 
"was" sounded to me. But just then the 
command to deploy was given and the 
excitement that followed drowned for 
the time being all melancholy thoughts. 
We quickly ascended the hill where 
the isolated detachment of Austrians had 
kept the Russians at bay for fully 
twenty-four hours and opened fire on 

36 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

the enemy, while the second regiment 
tried to turn his left flank. The Rus- 
sians slowly fell back but we followed 
them, and a sort of running fight en- 
sued, during which my regiment lost 
about fifty — dead and wounded. The 
Russians temporarily resisted again, but 
soon the pressure from our other regi- 
ment on their flank began to be felt and 
they fled rather disorderly, leaving two 
machine guns, some ammunition, and 
four carriages full of provisions in our 
hands, while the regiment which had 
executed the flanking movement took 
two hundred and forty prisoners. 

Around eight o'clock at night the 
fight was stopped for want of light, and 
we took up our newly acquired positions, 
entrenched them well, and began to 
make ready for the night. Orders for 
outpost duty were given and the officers 
were again called to the brigadier-colo- 
nel, who in a few words outlined the sit- 

37 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

uation to us, thanking us for the perti- 
nacity and bravery shown by the troops, 
and adding that the success of the ex- 
pedition lay in the fact that we had ar- 
rived in time to save the situation. 

Then the question of transporting 
prisoners to the rear came up, and while 
the brigadier's eyes were searching us I 
felt that he was going to entrust me with 
that mission. He looked at me, gave me 
the order in a short, measured way, but 
his eyes gazed searchingly and deeply 
into mine, and I thought I understood 
the unspoken message. So, tired as I 
was, I immediately set out with a guard 
of twenty men to transport the two hun- 
dred and forty Russian prisoners, among 
whom were two officers, back behind the 
fighting line. They seemed not unhappy 
over their lot — in fact, were smoking 
and chatting freely while we marched 
back. One of the Russian officers had 
a wound in his leg and was carried on a 

38 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

stretcher, but he, too, seemed quite at 
ease, conversing with me in French and 
congratulating me upon the bravery our 
isolated detachment had shown against 
the terrific onslaught. As soon as I had 
dehvered them safely into the hands of 
the commander of our reserves, I in- 
quired the way to the nearest field hos- 
pital in search of the young officer, the 
son of our brigadier-colonel. It was then 
about nine o'clock at night, and on en- 
tering the peasant's hut where the field 
hospital was estabhshed, I saw at a 
glance that I had come too late. He lay 
there still, hands folded over his breast 
with as serene and happy an expression 
as if asleep. His faithful orderly sat 
weeping next to him, and some kind hand 
had laid a small bunch of field flowers 
on his breast. 

From the doctor I got the full informa- 
tion. He had received a shot in the ab- 
domen and a rifle bullet had grazed his 

89 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

cheek. His last words had been a fer- 
vent expression of joy over the rehef 
brought by his father and the knowl- 
edge that the position would not be 
taken by the Russians. He had died as 
simply as a child, without regret, and 
utterly happy. I took the orderly with 
me, asking him to carry all the belong- 
ings of the young officer with him in 
order to transmit them to his father. 

When I returned with the orderly, 
the brigadier was issuing orders to his 
officers and conferring with them about 
the military situation. He saw me come, 
yet not a muscle moved in his face, nor 
did he interrupt his conversation. I was 
overwhelmed by the power this man 
showed at that minute, and admit I had 
not the courage to break the news to 
him, but it was unnecessary, for he un- 
derstood. The faithful orderly stepped 
forward, as I had bidden him, present- 
ing to the old man the pocketbook and 

40 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

small articles that belonged to his son. 
While he did so he broke forth into sobs, 
lamenting aloud the loss of his beloved 
lieutenant, yet not a muscle moved in the 
face of the father. He took my report, 
nodded curtly, dismissed me without a 
word, and turned back to his ordnance 
officers, resuming the conversation. 

I assumed the command of my platoon 
which in the mean time had been as- 
signed to do some outpost duty under 
the command of the sergeant. I inquired 
about their position and went out to join 
them. About midnight we were relieved, 
and when marching back, passed the 
place where the tent of the brigadier had 
been erected. I saw a dark figure lying 
on the floor, seemingly in deep sleep, 
and ordering my men to march on I 
crept silently forward. Then I saw that 
his shoulders were convulsively shaking 
and I knew that the mask of iron had 
fallen at last. The night was chilly so I 

41 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

entered his tent in search of his over- 
coat and laid it around his shoulders. 
He never noticed it. The next morning 
when I saw him his face was as immov- 
able as it had been the night before, 
but he seemed to have aged by many 
years. 

The next day was a comparatively 
restful one. We fortified the entrench- 
ments which we had taken, and as our 
battle lines were extended to the right, 
from being the extreme right we became 
almost the center of the new position 
which extended for perhaps ten miles 
from northwest to southeast about eight- 
een miles south of Lemberg. 

The next few days were given to re- 
pairs, provisioning, and resting, with oc- 
casional small skirmishes and shifting of 
positions. Then one night a scouting 
aeroplane brought news of a forward 
movement of about five Russian army 
corps, which seemed to push in the di- 

42 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

rection of our center. Against this force 
we could muster only about two army 
corps, but our strategical position seemed 
a very good one, both the extreme flanks 
of our army being protected by large and 
impassable swamps. Evidently the Rus- 
sians had realized the impossibility of 
turning our flanks and were endeavor- 
ing to pierce our center by means of a 
vigorous frontal attack, relying upon 
their great superiority in numbers. 
Every preparation had been made to 
meet the cnslaught during the night. 
Our trenches had been strengthened, the 
artillery had been brought into position, 
cleverly masked by means of transplanted 
bushes, the field in front of us had been 
cleared of objects obstructiag the view, 
and the sappers had been feverishly 
busy constructing formidable barbed- 
wire entanglements and carefully meas- 
uring the shooting distances, marking 
the different ranges by bundles of hay 

43 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

or other innocent-looking objects, which 
were placed here and there in the field. 

At nine o'clock in the morning every- 
thing was ready to receive the enemy, 
the men taking a short and well-de- 
served rest in their trenches, while we 
officers were called to the colonel, who 
acquainted us with the general situa- 
tion, and, giving his orders, addressed 
us in a short, business-like way, appeal- 
ing to our sense of duty and expressing 
his firm belief in our victory. We all 
knew that his martial attitude and 
abrupt manner were a mask to hide his 
inner self, full of throbbing emotion and 
tender solicitude for his subordinates, 
and we returned to our trenches deeply 
moved. 

The camp was absolutely quiet. The 
only movements noticeable being around 
the field kitchens in the rear, which were 
being removed from the battle line. A 
half hour later any casual observer, 

44 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

glancing over the deserted fields might 
have laughed at the intimation that the 
earth around him was harboring thou- 
sands of men armed to their teeth, and 
that pandemonium of hell would break 
loose within an hour. Barely a sound 
was audible, and a hush of expectancy 
descended upon us. I looked around at 
my men in the trench; some were quietly 
asleep, some writing letters, others con- 
versed in subdued and hushed tones. 
Every face I saw bore the unmistakable 
stamp of the feehng so characteristic of 
the last hour before a battle, — that 
curious mixture of solemn dignity, grave 
responsibihty, and suppressed emotion, 
with an undercurrent of sad resignation. 
They were pondering over their possible 
fate, or perhaps dreaming of their dear 
ones at home. 

By and by even the little conversa- 
tion ceased, and they sat quite silent, 
waiting and waiting, perhaps awed by 

45 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

their own silence. Sometimes one would 
bravely try to crack a joke, and they 
laughed, but it sounded strained. They 
were plainly nervous, these brave men 
that fought like lions in the open when 
led to an attack, heedless of danger and 
destruction. They felt under a cloud in 
the security of the trenches, and they 
were conscious of it and ashamed. Some- 
times my faithful orderly would turn his 
eye on me, mute, as if in quest of an ex- 
planation of his own feeling. Poor dear 
unsophisticated boy ! I was as nervous as 
they all were, although trying my best to 
look unconcerned; but I knew that the 
hush that hovered around us like a dark 
cloud would give way like magic to wild 
enthusiasm as soon as the first shot broke 
the spell and the exultation of the battle 
took hold of us all. 

Suddenly, at about ten o'clock, a dull 
thud sounded somewhere far away from 
us, and simultaneously we saw a small 

46 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

white round cloud about half a mile 
ahead of us where the shrapnel had ex- 
ploded. The battle had begun. Other 
shots followed shortly, exploding here 
and there, but doing no harm. The Rus- 
sian gunners evidently were trying to 
locate and draw an answer from our bat- 
teries. These, however, remained mute, 
not caring to reveal their position. For a 
long time the Russians fired at random, 
mostly at too short a range to do any 
harm, but slowly the harmless-looking 
white clouds came nearer, until a shell, 
whining as it whizzed past us, burst about 
a hundred yards behind our trench A 
second shell followed, exploding almost 
at the same place. At the same time, we 
noticed a faint spinning noise above us. 
Soaring high above our position, looking 
like a speck in the firmament, flew a Rus- 
sian aeroplane, watching the effect of the 
shells and presumably directing the fire 
of the Russian artillery. This explained 



47 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

its sudden accuracy. One of our aero- 
planes rose, giving chase to the enemy, 
and simultaneously our batteries got into 
action. The Russians kept up a sharply 
concentrated, well-directed fire against 
our center, our gunners responding 
gallantly, and the spirited artillery duel 
which ensued grew in intensity until 
the entrails of the earth seemed fairly 
to shake with the thunder. 

By one o'clock the incessant roaring, 
crashing, and splintering of bursting 
shells had become almost unendurable to 
our nerves, which were already strained 
to the snapping-point by the lack of ac- 
tion and the expectancy. Suddenly there 
appeared a thin dark Une on the horizon 
which moved rapidly towards us, looking 
not unlike a huge running bird with im- 
mense outstretched wings. We looked 
through our field glasses; there could be 
no doubt, — it was Russian cavalry, 
swooping down upon us with incredible 

48 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

impetus and swiftness. I quickly glanced 
at our colonel. He stared open-mouthed. 
This was, indeed, good fortune for us, — 
too good to believe. No cavalry attack 
could stand before well-disciplined infan- 
try, providing the latter keep cool and 
well composed, calmly waiting until the 
riders come sufficiently close to take sure 
aim. 

There was action for us at last. At a 
sharp word of command, our men scram- 
bled out of the trenches for better view 
and aim, shouting with joy as they did 
so. What a change had come over us all I 
My heart beat with wild exultation. I 
glanced at my men. They were all eager- 
ness and determination, hand at the 
trigger, eyes on the approaching enemy, 
every muscle strained, yet calm, their 
bronzed faces hardened into immobility, 
waiting for the command to fire. Every 
subaltern officer's eye hung on our colo- 
nel, who stood about thirty yards ahead 

49 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

of us on a little hill, his figure well de- 
fined in the sunlight, motionless, the 
very picture of calm assurance and proud 
bearing. He scanned the horizon with 
his glasses. Shrapnel was hailing around 
him, but he seemed utterly unaware of 
it; for that matter we had all forgotten 
it, though it kept up its terrible uproar, 
spitting here and there destruction into 
our midst. 

By this time the avalanche of tramp- 
ing horses had come perceptibly nearer. 
Soon they would sweep by the bundle of 
hay which marked the carefully meas- 
ured range within which our fire was 
terribly effective. Suddenly the mad 
stampede came to an abrupt standstill, 
and then the Cossacks scattered pre- 
cipitately to the right and left, only to 
disclose in their rear the advancing Rus- 
sian infantry, the movements of which it 
had been their endeavor to veil. 

The infantry moved forward in loose 

50 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

lines, endlessly rolling on like shallow 
waves overtaking each other, one line 
running forward, then suddenly disap- 
pearing by throwing itself down and 
opening fire on us to cover the advance 
of the other line, and so on, while their 
artillery kept up a helhsh uproar spread- 
ing destruction through our lines. Simul- 
taneously a Russian aeroplane swept 
down upon us with a noise hke an an- 
gered bird of prey and pelted us with 
bombs, the effects of which, however, 
were more moral than actual, for we had 
regained the security of the trenches and 
opened fire on the approaching enemy, 
who in spite of heavy losses advanced 
steadily until he reached our wire entan- 
glements. There he was greeted by a 
deadly fu-e from our machine guns. The 
first Russian Hues were mowed down as 
if by a gigantic scythe, and so were the 
reserves as they tried to advance. The 
first attack had collapsed. After a short 

51 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

time, however, they came on again, this 
time more cautiously, armed with nip- 
pers to cut the barbed wire and using 
the bodies of their own fallen comrades 
as a rampart. Again they were repulsed. 
Once more their cavalry executed a 
feigned attack under cover of which the 
Russian infantry ralhed, strongly rein- 
forced by reserves, and more determined 
than ever. 

Supported by heavy artillery fire their 
lines rolled endlessly on and hurled them- 
selves against the barbed-wire fences. 
For a short time it almost seemed, as if 
they would break through by sheer 
weight of numbers. At that critical mo- 
ment, however, our reserves succeeded 
in executing a flanking movement. Sur- 
prised and caught in a deadly cross-fire, 
the Russian line wavered and finally 
they fled in disorder. 

All these combined artillery, infantry, 
cavalry, and aeroplane attacks had ut- 

52 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 
terly failed in their object of dislodging 
our center or shaking its position, each 
one being frustrated by the resourceful, 
cool alertness of our commanding gen- 
eral and the splendid heroism and stoi- 
cism of our troops. But the strain of the 
continuous fighting for nearly the whole 
day without respite of any kind, or 
chance for food or rest, in the end told 
on the power of endurance of our men, 
and when the last attack had been suc- 
cessfully repulsed they lay mostly pros- 
trated on the ground, panting and 
exhausted. Our losses had been very 
considerable, too, stretcher-bearers being 
busy administering first aid and carrying 
the wounded back to the nearest field 
hospital, while many a brave man lay 
stark and still. 

By eight o'clock it had grown per- 
ceptibly cooler. We now had time to col- 
lect our impressions and look about us. 
The Russians had left many dead on the 

53 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

field, and at the barbed-wire entangle- 
ments which our sappers had constructed 
as an obstacle to their advance, their 
bodies lay heaped upon each other, look- 
ing not unlike the more innocent bundles 
of hay lying in the field. We could see 
the small Red Gross parties in the field 
climbing over the horribly grotesque 
tumuli of bodies, trying to disentangle 
the wounded from the dead and ad- 
minister first aid to them. 

Enthusiasm seemed suddenlyto disap- 
pear before this terrible spectacle. Life 
that only a few hours before had glowed 
with enthusiasm and exultation, sud- 
denly paled and sickened. The silence 
of the night was interrupted only by the 
low moaning of the wounded that came 
regularly to us. It was hideous in 
its terrible monotony. The moon had 
risen, throwing fantastic lights and shad- 
ows over the desolate landscape and the 
heaped-up dead. These grotesque piles 

54 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

of human bodies seemed like a monstrous 
sacrificial offering immolated on the al- 
tar of some fiendishly cruel, antique 
deity. I felt faint and sick at heart and 
near swooning away. I lay on the floor 
for some time unconscious of what was 
going on around me, in a sort of stupor, 
utterly crushed over the horrors about 
me. I do not know how long I had lain 
there, perhaps ten minutes, perhaps half 
an hour, when suddenly I heard a gruff, 
deep voice behind me — the brigadier, 
who had come around to inspect and to 
give orders about the outposts. His calm, 
quiet voice brought me to my senses and 
I reported to him. His self-assurance, 
kindness, and determine jn dominated 
the situation. Within five minutes he 
had restored confidence, giving definite 
orders for the welfare of every one, man 
and beast ahke, showing his soHcitude for 
the wounded, for the sick and weak ones, 
and mingling praise and admonition in 

55 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

just measure. As by magic I feltfortified. 
Here was a real man undaunted by 
nervous qualms or by over-sensitiveness. 
The horrors of the war were distasteful 
to him, but he bore them with equanim- 
ity. It was, perhaps, the first time in my 
life that I regretted that my artistic 
education had over-sharpened and over- 
strung my nervous system, when I saw 
how manfully and bravely that man bore 
what seemed to me almost unbearable. 
His whole machinery of thinking was 
not comphcated and not for a moment 
did qualms of "Weltschmerz" or exag- 
gerated altruism burden his conscience 
and interfere with his straight hne of con- 
duct which was wholly determined by 
duty and code of honor. In his private 
hfe he was an unusually kind man. His 
sohcitude for his subordinates, for pris- 
oners, and for the wounded was touch- 
ing, yet he saw the horrors of the war un- 
flinchingly and without weakening, for 

56 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

were they not the consequences of the 
devotion of men to their cause? The 
whole thing seemed quite natural to him. 
The man was clearly in his element and 
dominated it. 

After having inspected the outposts, 
I went back, bedded myself in a soft 
sand-heap, covered myself up, and was 
soon fast and peacefully asleep. During 
the night the dew moistened the sand, 
and when I awoke in the morning I found 
myself encased in a plastering which 
could not be removed for days. 



Ill 

Our hopes of getting a little rest and 
respite from the fighting were soon scat- 
tered, for a scouting aeroplane brought 
news that the Russians were again ad- 
vancing in overwhelming strength. Our 
commanding general, coming to the con- 
clusion that with the reduced and weak- 
ened forces at his command he could not 
possibly offer any effective resistance to 
a renewed onslaught, had determined 
to fall back slowly before their pressure. 
The consequence was a series of retreat- 
ing battles for us, which lasted about ten 
days and which constituted what is now 
called the battle of Lemberg. 

We were then terribly outnumbered 
by the Russians, and in order to extri- 
cate our army and prevent it from being 
surrounded and cut off, we constantly 

58 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

had to retreat, one detachment taking 
up positions to resist the advancing Rus- 
sians, trying to hold them at all costs 
in order to give the rest of the army 
sufficient time to retire to safety. This 
maneuvering could not, of course, be 
carried out without the forces guarding 
the rear and covering the retreat suffer- 
ing sometimes terrible losses. 

These were depressing days, with rain 
and storm adding to the gloom. The 
men tramped wearily, hanging their 
heads, ashamed and humiliated by the 
retreat, the necessity of which they 
could not grasp, having, as they thought, 
successfully repulsed the enemy. It was 
difficult to make them understand that 
our regiment was only a cog in the huge 
wheel of the Austrian fighting machine 
and that, with a battle Hne extending 
over many miles, it was quite natural 
that partial successes could take place 
and yet the consideration of general 



59 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

strategy necessitate a retreat. Our argu- 
ing made little impression on the men; 
for they only shook their heads and said, 
"We were victorious, we should have 
gone on." 

The spirit of retreating troops is vastly 
different from that shown by an advanc- 
ing army, and it was probably in recog- 
nition of this well-known psychological 
state that our general staff had in the 
beginning attacked the Russians wher- 
ever they could, in spite of the over- 
whelming superiority of the foe, but the 
reinforcements the Russians were able 
to draw upon had swelled their ranks 
so enormously that any attack would 
have been Uttle short of madness. 

The real hardships and privations for 
us began only now. The few roads of 
Galicia, which at best are in bad condi- 
tion, through the constant passing of 
heavy artillery and wagons of all kinds 
following each other in endless proces- 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

sion through constant rains, had become 
well-nigh impassable, the heavy mud 
constituting an additional impediment 
to the marching of troops. In order to 
get all of the train carrying provisions 
out of the possible reach of a sudden raid 
by the Russian cavalry, it had to be sent 
miles back of us, so as not to interfere 
with the movement of the troops. This 
caused somewhat of an interruption in 
the organization of the commissary de- 
partment and very little food reached 
the troops, and that only at very long 
intervals. 

The distribution of food to an army, 
even in peace and under the best condi- 
tions, is a very comphcated and difficult 
undertaking. Provisions are shipped 
from the interior to the important rail- 
way centers, which serve as huge army 
depots and form the basis from which the 
different army corps draw their provisions 
and from which they are constantly re- 



el 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

plenished. They in turn supply the divi- 
sions and brigades wherefrom the regi- 
ments and battahons dmw their provi- 
sions. So it is seen that the great aorta 
which leads from the interior to the big 
depots slowly subdivides itself into 
smaller arteries and feeders until they 
reach the ultimate destination, the ex- 
treme front. 

This distribution of food had now be- 
come a formidable task, in consequence 
of the unforeseen movements and diver- 
sions which were forced upon us by the 
unexpected developments of the battle; 
and it often happened that food supplies 
intended for a certain detachment would 
reach their destination only after the de- 
parture of that detachment. 

My platoon had by this time shrunk 
from fifty-five men to about thirty-four, 
but those remaining had become very 
hardened, efficient, and fit. It is aston- 
ishing how quickly the human organism 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

adjusts itself, if need be, to the most 
difficult circumstances. So far as I was 
concerned, for instance, I adapted my- 
self to the new life without any trouble at 
all, responding to the unusual demands 
upon me automatically, as it were. My 
rather impaired eyesight improved in 
the open, with only wide distances to 
look at. I found that my muscles served 
me better than ever before. I leaped and 
ran and supported fatigue that would 
have appalled me under other circum- 
stances. In the field all neurotic symp- 
toms seem to disappear as by magic, 
and one's whole system is charged with 
energy and vitahty. Perhaps this is due 
to the open-air life with its simplified 
standards, freed from all the complex 
exigencies of society's laws, and unham- 
pered by conventionalities, as well as to 
the constant throb of excitement, caused 
by the activity, the adventure, and the 
uncertainty of fate. 

63 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

The very massing together of so many 
individuals, with every will merged into 
one that strives with gigantic effort to- 
ward a common end, and the consequent 
simphcity and directness of all purpose, 
seem to release and unhinge all the prim- 
itive, aboriginal forces stored in the hu- 
man soul, and tend to create the inde- 
scribable atmosphere of exultation which 
envelopes everything and everybody as 
with a magic cloak. 

It is extraordinary how quickly sug- 
gestions of luxury, culture, refinement, 
in fact all the gentler aspects of life, 
which one had considered to be an in- 
tegral part of one's life are quickly for- 
gotten, and, more than that, not even 
missed. Centuries drop from one, and 
one becomes a primeval man, nearing 
the cave-dweller in an incredibly short 
time. For twenty-one days I went with- 
out taking off my clothes, sleeping on 
wet grass or in mud, or in the swamps, 

64 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

wherever need be, and with nothing but 
my cape to cover me. Nothing disturbs 
one. One night, while sleeping, we were 
drenched to the skin by torrential rains. 
We never stirred, but waited for the sun 
to dry us out again. All things consid- 
ered a necessity of civilization simply 
drop out of existence. A toothbrush was 
not imaginable. We ate instructively, 
when we had food, with our hands. If we 
had stopped to think of it at all, we 
should have thought it ludicrous to use 
knife and fork. 

We were all looking like shaggy, lean 
wolves, from the necessity of subsisting 
on next to nothing. I remember having 
gone for more than three days at a time 
without any food whatsoever, and many 
a time we had to lick the dew from the 
grass for want of water. A certain fierce- 
ness arises in you, an absolute indiffer- 
ence to anything the world holds except 
your duty of fighting. You are eating a 

65 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

crust of bread, and a man is shot dead in 
the trench next to you. You look cahnly 
at him for a moment, and then go on eat- 
ing your bread. Why not? There is 
nothing to be done. In the end you talk 
of your own death with as little excite- 
ment as you would of a luncheon engage- 
ment. There is nothing left in your mind 
but the fact that hordes of men to whom 
you belong are fighting against other 
hordes, and your side must win. 

My memory of these days is very 
much blurred, every day being pretty 
nearly the same as the preceding one, — 
fatiguing marches, little rest and com- 
paratively little fighting. 

It is quite possible that our com- 
mander tried to divide the work of the 
troops in a just manner, and that in 
consequence of my regiment having 
borne the brunt of two terrible attacks, 
and having suffered considerable loss, 
we were now temporarily withdrawn 

66 




KREISLER AT THE FRONT, TAKEN AFTER 
THREE weeks' SERVICE 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

from the fighting line, and not once dur- 
ing these days were assigned to the duty 
of a rear guard. Consequently we had 
only few and unimportant skirmishes 
in these days, twice while guarding the 
flank through having to repulse attacks 
of Cossacks, and once being harrassed 
by an armored automobile. But the 
movements of an automobile being con- 
fined to the road, we had no difficulty in 
avoiding its fire, and as for the Cossacks 
with their eternal feigned attacks, we 
had reached the point where we almost 
ignored them. 

We were in the first days of Sef,; em- 
ber, and upon reaching the swamps near 
Grodeck, south of Lemberg, a deter- 
mined stand was decided upon by our 
commanding general. It seemed the 
most propitious place for a formidable 
defense, there being only few roads 
through otherwise impassable swamps. 
On September sixth my battalion was 

67 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

ordered to take up a position command- 
ing a defile which formed one of the pos- 
sible approaches for the enemy. Here 
we awaited the Russians, and they were 
not long in coming. First they violently 
shelled our position and silenced one 
of our batteries. Finding their artillery 
fire did not draw any answer from our 
side, they attempted to storm our posi- 
tion by means of frontal infantry at- 
tacks, combined with occasional raids of 
Cossacks, which were always repulsed. 
Finally the Russian infantry succeeded 
in establishing a number of trenches, the 
one opposite us not more than five hun- 
dred yards away. It was the first time 
we had come in close touch with the 
Russians, almost within hailing distance, 
and with the aid of our field glasses 
we could occasionally even get a glimpse 
of their faces and recognize their features. 
We stayed four days opposite each other, 
neither side gaining a foot of ground. 

68 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

It was there and then that I made a 
curious observation. After the second 
day we had almost grown to know each 
other. The Russians would laughingly 
call over to us, and the Austrians would 
answer. The saUent feature of these 
three days' fighting was the extraordi- 
nary lack of hatred. In fact, it is aston- 
ishing how little actual hatred exists be- 
tween fighting men. One fights fiercely 
and passionately, mass against mass, but 
as soon as the mass crystallizes itself into 
human individuals whose features one 
actually can recognize, hatred almost 
ceases. Of course, fighting continues, 
but somehow it loses its fierceness and 
takes more the form of a sport, each side 
being eager to get the best of the other. 
One still shoots at his opponent, bu^ 
almost regrets when he sees him drop. 

By the morning of the third diy we 
knew nearly every member of the oppos- 
ing trench, the favorite of my men being 

69 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

a giant red-bearded Russian whose con- 
stant pastime consisted in jumping like a 
Jack-in-the-box from the trench, crying 
over to us as he did so. He was fre- 
quently shot at, but never hit. Then he 
grew bolder, showing himself longer and 
longer, until finally he jumped out of the 
trench altogether, shouting to us wildly 
and waving his cap. His good-humored 
jollity and bravado appealed to our boys 
and none of them attempted to shoot 
at him while he presented such a splen- 
did target. Finally one of our men, who 
did not want to be second in bravery, 
jumped out of the trench and presented 
himself in the full sunlight. Not one at- 
tempt was made to shoot at him either, 
and these two men began to gesticulate 
at each other, inviting each other to 
come nearer. All fighting had suddenly 
ceased, and both opposing parties were 
looking on, laughing like boys at play. 
Finally the Russian would draw a step 

70 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

nearer, and our man boldly advanced 
too. Then the Russians urged on their 
man with shouts and laughter, and he 
made a big leap forward, standing still, 
whereupon the Austrian also jumped 
forward, and so, step by step, they ap- 
proached until they nearly touched each 
other. They had left their rifles behind, 
and we thought that they were going to 
indulge in a fist fight, all of us being 
sorry for our champion, for he was a 
small and insignificant-looking man who 
looked as if he could be crushed with one 
blow by his gigantic opponent. But lo, 
and behold! The big Russian held out 
his hand which held a package of to- 
bacco and our Austrian, seizing the to- 
bacco, grasped the hand of the Russian, 
and then reaching in his pocket pro- 
duced a long Austrian cigar, which he 
ceremoniously presented to the Russian. 
It was indeed a funny sight to see the 
small, wiry, lean Austrian talking in exag- 

71 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

gerated terms of politeness to the blond 
Russian giant, who listened gravely and 
attentively, as if he understood every 
word. 

By this time all precautions and even 
ideas of fighting had been forgotten, and 
we were surprised to find ourselves out of 
the shelter of our trenches and fully ex- 
posed to the Russians, who, in turn, 
leaned out of their own trenches and 
showed their heads in full. This unoffi- 
cial truce had lasted about twenty min- 
utes, and succeeded more in restoring 
good humor and joy of life among our 
soldiers than a trainload of provisions 
would have done. It was one of the in- 
cidents that helped to relieve the mo- 
notony of trench life and was heartily 
welcomed by all of us. The fighting, 
however, soon was resumed with all its 
earnestness and fierceness, but from this 
moment on a certain camaraderie was 
estabhshed between the two opposing 

72 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

trenches. Between skirmishes an unoffi- 
cial truce would frequently be called for 
the purpose of removing the wounded. 
During these times when the stretcher- 
bearers were busy, no shot would be 
fired on either side. 

Nor was this an isolated case, for sim- 
ilar intermittent truces, sometimes ac- 
companied by actual intercourse be- 
tween the opposing forces, were quite 
common all along the battle line. That 
very night I was hurriedly summoned to 
the trenches of the 13th Company, about 
half a mile east of us, in order to act as 
an interpreter between the major com- 
manding that battahon and two singu- 
lar guests he had just received, a Rus- 
sian officer and his orderly. The pair, 
carrying a white flag, had hailed one of 
the numerous Austrian outposts placed 
during the night, in front of the trenches, 
and had been sent blindfolded back to 
the major. The Russian officer spoke 

73 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

only broken French. He commanded 
one of the opposing trenches, and from 
his narrative it appeared that his men 
had not received any food supphes for 
some days and were actually on the 
point of starvation. Not being able to 
stand their misery any longer, he had 
taken the bull by the horns and, with the 
utter confidence and straightforwardness 
of a fearless nature, had simply come 
over to us, the enemy, for help, offering 
a little barrel of water which his com- 
panion carried on his head and a little 
tobacco, in exchange for some provisions. 
The major seemed at first, perhaps, 
a little perplexed and undecided about 
this singular request, but his generous 
nature and chivalry soon asserted itself. 
One single look at the emaciated and 
worn faces of our guests sufficiently 
substantiated the truth of their story, 
for both men were utterly exhausted 
and on the verge of collapse. The next 

74 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

minute messengers were flying to the 
different trenches of the battalion to 
solicit and collect contributions, and the 
officers scrambled over each other in 
their noble contest to deplete their own 
last and cherished reserves for the supper 
of the guests. Soon the latter were seated 
as comfortably as circumstances permit- 
ted before a feast of canned beef, cheese, 
biscuits, and a slice of salami, my own 
proud contribution consisting of two 
tablets of chocolate, part of a precious 
reserve for extreme cases. It was a 
strange sight to see these two Russians 
in an Austrian trench, surrounded by 
cordiality and tender solicitude. The 
big brotherhood of humanity had for the 
time enveloped friend and foe, stamping 
out all hatred and racial differences. It 
is wonderful how the most tender flowers 
of civilization can go hand in hand with 
the most brutal atrocities of grun modern 
warfare. 

75 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

In the mean while the messengers had 
returned almost staggering under the 
weight of a sack filled with the gifts of 
our soldiers to the enemy, — pieces of 
bread and biscuits with here and there 
a slice of bacon or a lump of cheese, all 
thrown pele-mele together. Many a man 
must have parted with his last piece of 
bread in order not to be outdone by the 
others in generosity, for our own pro- 
visions were running very low. It is true 
that the bread and biscuits were mil- 
dewed, the cheese stale, and the bacon as 
hard as stone, but the boys gave the best 
they could, the very poverty and hum- 
bleness of the gifts attesting their own 
desperate plight, and bearing proud wit- 
ness to the extent of their sacrifice. With 
tears in their eyes and reiterated protesta- 
tions of thanks, our guests staggered back 
through the night to their lines, undoubt- 
edly carrying with them tender memories 
of Austrian generosity and hospitality. 

76 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

On the morning of the next day a 
Russian detachment succeeded in storm- 
ing a hill on our flank, commanding the 
strip of space between ourselves and our 
reserves in the rear, thus cutting us off 
from our main body. They established 
there a machine-gun battery, and, al- 
though we were under cover in our 
trench, we were now in a very precarious 
position, for no more provisions or am- 
munition could reach us, all attempts 
to do so breaking down under a terrific 
machine-gun fire, but we had orders to 
hold our position at all cost and to the 
last man. Unfortunately our ammuni- 
tion was giving out, in spite of our hus- 
banding it as much as possible and shoot- 
ing only when we had a sure target. The 
Russians soon found that each shot 
meant a victim and took no chances on 
showing even the tips of their caps. 
Neither could we move the least bit 
without being the target for a volley 

77 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

from their side. Up to this day I cannot 
understand why they did not try to rush 
us, but apparently they were unaware 
of our comparative weakness. 

Also for another reason our position 
had become more and more untenable. 
We were on swampy ground and the 
water was constantly oozing in from the 
bottom of the trench, so that we some- 
times had to stand nearly knee-deep and 
were forced to bail the water out with 
our caps. It is difficult to imagine a 
more deplorable situation than to have 
to stay for four days in a foul trench, 
half filled with swamp water, con- 
stantly exposed to the destructive fire of 
the enemy, utterly isolated and hopeless. 

Soon we were completely without any 
food or water and our ammunition was 
almost exhausted. During the night, 
here and there daring men would rush 
through the space swept by the Russian 
gun fire, which was kept up constantly, 

78 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

trying to bring us what scanty supplies 
they could procure from neighboring 
trenches better provided than we were, 
but the little they brought was nothing 
compared to our needs. 

On the evening of that third day, 
knowing that our ammunition was giv- 
ing out, we felt that the next day would 
bring the end, and all out thoughts 
turned homewards and to the dear ones. 
We all wrote what we considered our 
parting and last farewell, each one pledg- 
ing himself to deliver and tak3 care of 
the letters of the others if he survived. It 
was a grave, sad, deeply touching mo- 
ment, when we resigned ourselves to the 
inevitable, and yet somehow we all felt 
relieved and satisfied that the end might 
come and grimly resolved to sell our 
Uves dearly. 

Never before had I as much reason to 
admire the wonderful power of endur- 
ance and stoicism of our soldiers as on 

79 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

that night. Once resigned to the worst, 
all the old-time spirit returned, as if by 
magic. They sat together playing cards 
in as much moonlight as would fall into 
the deep trench, relating jokes and bol- 
stering up one another's courage. 

The fourth day broke gloomy, with a 
drizzling rain. At ten o'clock one of our 
men became suddenly insane, jumped 
out of the trench, danced wildly and 
divested himself of every stitch of cloth- 
ing while doing so. Strange to say, the 
Russians must have realized that the 
man was insane, for they never fired at 
him, neither did they at the two men 
who jumped out to draw him back. We 
succeeded in comforting and subduing 
him, and he soon fell into a stupor and 
remained motionless for some time. As 
soon as darkness fell we succeeded in con- 
veying him back to the reserves and I 
understand that he got quite well again 
in a few days. 

80 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

At five o'clock that afternoon we sud- 
denly received orders through a running 
messenger, who was braving the inces- 
sant machine-gun fire, that our posi- 
tions were about to be abandoned and 
that we were to evacuate our trench 
under the cover of darkness, at eleven 
o'clock. I cannot but confess that we all 
breathed more freely on the receipt of 
that information, but unfortunately the 
purpose could not be carried out. The 
Russians by this time evidently had 
realized our comparatively defenseless 
condition and utter lack of ammunition, 
for that same night we heard two shots 
ring out, being a signal from our sentinels 
that they were surprised and that danger 
was near. I hardly had time to draw my 
^|^''^iwo^di to grasp my revolver with my 
left hand and issue a command to my 
men to hold their bayonets in readiness, 
when we heard a tramping of horses and 
saw dark figures swooping down upon 

81 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

us. For once the Cossacks actually 
carried out their attack, undoubtedly 
owing to their intimate knowledge of our 
lack of ammunition. My next sensation 
was a crushing pain in my shoulder, 
struck by the hoof of a horse, and a 
sharp knife pain in my right thigh. I 
fired with my revolver at the hazy figure 
above me, saw it topple over and then 
lost consciousness. 

This happened, to the best of my recol- 
lection, at about half past ten at night. 
Upon coming to my senses I found my 
faithful orderly, kneeling in the trench 
by my side. He fairly shouted with de- 
light as I opened my eyes. According to 
his story the Austrians, faUing back un- 
der the cavalry charge, had evacuated 
the trench without noticing, in the dark- 
ness, that I was missing. But soon dis- 
covering my absence he started back to 
the trench in search of me. It was a peri- 
lous undertaking for him, for the Cos- 

82 




FRITZ RREISLER 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

sacks were still riding about, and he 
showed me with pride the place where a 
stray bullet had perforated his knapsack 
during the search. He revived me, gave 
me first aid, and succeeded with great 
difficulty in helping me out of the trench. 
For more than three hours we stumbled 
on in the night, trying to find our fines 
again. Twice we encountered a small 
troop of Cossacks, but upon hearing the 
tramping we quietly lay down on the 
wayside without a motion untfi they had 
passed. Happily we were not noticed by 
them, and from then we stumbled on 
without any further incident untfi we 
were hafied by an Austrian outpost and 
in safety. By this time I was utterly 
exhausted and again lost consciousness. 
When I opened my eyes, I was in a 
little hut where our ambulance gave first 
aid. Therefrom I was transported to the 
nearest field hospital. This, however, had 
to be broken up and the wounded re- 

83 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

moved because of the Russian advance. 
We were hastily put on big ambulance 
wagons without springs, the jolting of 
which over the bad road caused us such 
suffering that we should have almost 
preferred to walk or crawl. We tried to 
reach the railway station at Komarno 
but found a Russian detachment had in- 
tercepted us. In the streets of the village 
a shell burst almost in front of our wag- 
ons, making the horses shy and causing a 
great deal of confusion. We had to turn 
back and after a long and wearisome de- 
tour reached our destination, the troop 
hospital in Sambor, in a state of great 
exhaustion. There I remained but a day. 
The less seriously wounded had to make 
place for the graver cases, and being 
among the former, I was transferred by 
hospital train to Miscolcy in Hungary. 
The same crowded conditions prevailed 
here as in Sambor, and after a night's 
rest I again was put on board a Red 

84 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

Cross train en route to Vienna. We were 
met at the station by a number of Red 
Cross nurses and assistant doctors. 

To my great joy my wife was among 
the former, having been assigned to that 
particular duty. A short official telegram 
to the effect that I was being sent home 
wounded on hospital train Number 16 
was the first news she had received about 
me for fully four weeks. None of my 
field postcards had arrived and she was 
suffering extreme nervous strain from the 
long anxiety and suspense, which she 
had tried in vain to numb by feverish 
work in her hospital. I remained two 
weeks in Vienna and then was trans- 
ferred to the sulphur bath of Baden 
near-by, where large hospitals had been 
estabhshed to relieve the overcrowding 
of Vienna. There I remained until the 
first of November when I was ordered to 
appear before a mixed commission of 
army surgeons and senior officers, for a 

85 



FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES 

medical examination. Two weeks later 
I received formal intimation that I had 
been pronounced invahd and physically 
unfit for army duty at the front or at 
home, and consequently was exempted 
from further service. My mihtary exper- 
ience ended there, and with deep regret I 
bade good-bye to my loyal brother offi- 
cers, comrades, and faithful orderly, and 
discarded my well-beloved uniform for 
the nondescript garb of the civihan, 
grateful that I had been permitted to be j 

of any, if ever so Httle, service to my 
Fatherland. 



i 



THE END 



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